Grimley - My Patch

Most birdwatchers have a patch where they go to frequently to do their birdwatching. It is an area they know well and enjoy watching the birds, wildlife and generally the changing of the seasons. It is an area they love to be in. My patch is Grimley.

Grimley is an area a few miles north of Worcester on the banks of the river Severn. There is a mixture of habitats there, but the major areas are gravel pits and intensive farmland. The wildlife found there is extensive and some of the best birding in Worcestershire is found there. What appeals to me is that it is not managed for wildlife, yet wildlife exists in abundance.

So far this year I have only managed a few short visits, just an hour or two. However, the last two Saturdays I have managed to be able to spend a little longer and had two extensive walks around the gravel pits and along the river Severn. Both days over 50 species of bird were spotted.

There were two highlights over the two days. The first day the highlight was a Treecreeper. Not the most exciting bird species, but, for me one that I enjoy watching climb up the sides of trees and then flying down to the bottom of the next, foraging for small invertebrates as it goes. In order to assist this unique behaviour they have evolved long stiff tails to support them as the forage in the trunk of the trees. They also have large feet with sharp, arched claw. Additionally, they have a long curved bill that assists the removal of invertebrates from the tree trunk.

The Treecreeper I saw was very important as it was the first that I have ever seen at Grimley and my first of the year!

On my most recent trip I was on my own and as I was walking along the east side of Camp lane pits I heard one of the most evocative sounds of spring. Skylarks. And there in the farmers field were two Skylarks. One was undergoing its display flight. Hoping to catch the eye of a female by rising to as high as 300meters whilst singing its beautiful and loud song.

The skylark is a red listed bird due to the sharp decline that it is undergoing. The numbers have dropped by 70% since 1970. This is as a result of our changes in farming methods. The Skylark, like many birds, does not respond well to intensive farming methods and indeed the increase in Autumn sown crops. These crops are denser and prevent the birds from nesting. A lot of the area around Grimley is intensively farmed and the numbers of Skylarks has dropped. I was very pleased to see this skylark, my first of the year. I hope its not the last.

Note: not all of the photos above were taken on my two recent visits.